World Agriculture Directory: the home of the world's largest agriculture database. Fastest way to find events, farms and agribusiness that suit your needs. Agriculture Event Directory

Cattlemen Hall of FameBeef cattle barons, cowboys, breeders and builders from around the world

Cattle Barons and Land Owners

William D. Tate: The Grapevine Mayor and Hometown Historian Honored by Texas Trail of Fame

Texas's longest-serving mayor is also a lawyer, a title company operator and a keeper of Grapevine's local history.

Who Is William D. Tate?

William D. Tate was born and raised in Grapevine, Texas, a Tarrant County town between Fort Worth and Dallas. He is known as the longest-serving mayor in Texas, and the Texas Trail of Fame is set to honor him with an inlaid bronze star at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

He appears in this hall because the Texas Trail of Fame, a Fort Worth honor for people who shaped Texas Western heritage, has selected him. The pages reviewed for this entry document his public career in detail, but they do not describe a ranch or herd. The entry is therefore marked as thin on ranching and sticks to the verified public record.

Mayor of Grapevine for About Five Decades

The City of Grapevine mayor page lists him as city attorney from 1969 to 1972, a council member elected in 1972, and mayor from 1973 to 1985 and again from 1988 to the present. His current term expires in 2027. A University of North Texas profile gives 1974 as his first election, so sources differ by a year on that detail.

As 360 West Magazine reported, the city has been celebrating his 50 years of leadership. He was on the first plane to land at DFW Airport in 1974 and oversaw Grapevine's 2009 designation as the Christmas Capital of Texas.

Growing a Town Beside DFW Airport

Reported figures in the UNT alumni magazine profile say Grapevine grew from about 6,000 people in the early 1970s to about 50,000. The same account says DFW International Airport took roughly 40 percent of the city's land off the tax roll, and that Tate responded by recruiting large businesses to build a sales tax base.

In his own words, as relayed by 360 West, his main accomplishments were restoring old buildings, saving Main Street and making Grapevine a better place to live. The same article calls him a hometown historian with decades of stories about Grapevine's past.

Lawyer, Title Company Operator and Author

Tate holds a business administration degree in accounting from North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas, and a law degree from the University of Houston. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the American Bar Association and has run a law practice and a title company in Grapevine.

He is also the author of a self-published memoir, My Barefoot Days, which an AOL feature on his upbringing says focuses on his childhood in small-town Grapevine.

The Key to Tate's Success

A career that spans about half a century in one office is rare. The documented record suggests several habits that explain it, though the sources describe actions rather than private motives.

He also lost an election. The UNT account says he lost the 1985 race by a slim margin and returned to win in 1988.

  • He prepared in public service first, serving as city attorney and council member before becoming mayor.
  • He stayed rooted in Grapevine, living there all his life except for college.
  • He answered a tax base problem with business recruitment after the airport took land off the rolls.
  • He tied growth to preservation, restoring old buildings and saving Main Street.
  • He kept a professional practice in law and title work alongside public office.

Honors and Texas Trail of Fame

The city lists his honors as the Grapevine High School Hall of Fame in 1989, the Boy Scouts of America Silver Eagle Award in 2007, a Hospitality Industry Development Award from the Texas Travel Industry in 2000, and Grapevine Citizen of the Year in 1976. The Northeast Leadership Forum also gave him its Distinguished Leadership Award.

The 360 West article says he will be inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame. Readers can explore other Texas heritage stories through the farm.FM ranching section and a farm.FM story about Texas small-town history.

Timeline

  1. 1952As a child, releases the first fish into Lake Grapevine (reported).
  2. 1969Becomes Grapevine city attorney.
  3. 1972Elected to the Grapevine City Council.
  4. 1973Becomes mayor (a UNT profile gives 1974).
  5. 1985Loses the mayor's race by a slim margin (reported).
  6. 1988Returns as mayor.
  7. 2009Grapevine named Christmas Capital of Texas under his leadership.
  8. 2026Scheduled for Texas Trail of Fame induction.

Frequently asked questions

Who is William D. Tate?

William D. Tate is the longest-serving mayor in Texas, leading Grapevine for about five decades. He is also a lawyer, a title company operator and a local historian.

How long has William Tate been mayor of Grapevine?

The city lists him as mayor from 1973 to 1985 and from 1988 to the present. A UNT profile says he was first elected in 1974.

What is William Tate known for?

He is known for guiding Grapevine through the arrival of DFW Airport, restoring historic buildings, saving Main Street and building the town's Christmas tourism identity.

Is William D. Tate in the Texas Trail of Fame?

360 West Magazine reports that he will be inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame with a bronze star at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

More from the hall